Pine Mountain is one of the few “ridge and valley” mountains in Southern Appalachia that overlaps with the central Appalachian coalfield of the Cumberland Plateau. Its folded layers tower above a dozen coalfield counties in Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Communities that are 3 centuries old are innovators and survivors in this rugged landscape. Their amazing music, outlook on life, and sense of place are rare in this world.

This video chronicles two of the hardships these wonderful people faced in the last 170 years: The American Civil War and Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining.

Filmed by Benji Burrell

Massey Energy used to be A.T. Massey Corporation, a subsidiary of multinational behemoth Flour Corporation. Massey subsidiary Martin County Coal Corporation was responsible for the worst-ever environmental disaster in the Southeast — the massive sludge spill in Kentucky in 2000 (see attached article).

Coal companies have been dumping sludge and coal processing chemicals into Appalachian streams for decades — the regulatory agencies have always known about it and, unless citizens document a dumping, the agencies do nothing. When they’re forced to react, they fine the corporations a pittance, and then it’s back to business as usual.

Coal companies also bury tires, transformers, drums of toxic substances… in the spoil — the rubble from the blasted-apart mountains, which is then dumped in the valleys, burying more than 10,000 miles of streams. Needless to say, the groundwater is also highly contaminated. Every hollow in the WV coalfields is a cancer cluster, and what fish remain in the streams are frankenfish.

The Charleston Gazette [WV]
May 12, 2007

Massey sued by Feds
Coal firm violated Clean Water Act more than 4,630 times, prosecutors allege
By The Associated Press

Federal prosecutors allege that Massey Energy Co. and its subsidiaries have illegally poured pollutants into West Virginia and Kentucky waterways about 4,633 times within the past six years – roughly 69,071 days’ worth of violations of the U.S. Clean Water Act.

The U.S. District Court lawsuit asks a judge to block further discharges and fine seven of the subsidiaries either $27,500 or $32,500 for each day of violation, depending on when each occurred.

The lawsuit attributed “an extensive history of violating the Clean Water Act” to Massey operations.

“Despite several prior enforcement actions, including two criminal plea agreements, settlement of suspension and debarment matters, civil actions by the state of West Virginia and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and private suits by citizens of West Virginia and Kentucky, Massey Energy and its subsidiaries continue to violate the CWA,” the lawsuit said.

The federal action was filed Thursday in Charleston. It comes after the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration levied $1.5 million in fines against Massey last month. Those penalties are for 25 violations stemming from a fire at the company’s Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County that killed two miners.

The January 2006 fire remains the subject of a federal criminal probe. West Virginia regulators have fined the company $70,000 over Aracoma violations, while the miners’ widows have sued Massey, several subsidiaries and President, CEO and Chairman Don Blankenship.

Blankenship and other Massey officials could not be reached for comment late Friday.

Prosecutors cite monitoring reports filed with West Virginia and Kentucky between January 2000 and March 2006, showing 4,100 violations of permitted average monthly or maximum daily discharge limits. West Virginia reported another 533 permit limit violations from April through December 2006, the lawsuit said.

West Virginia inspectors documented 534 of the violations during the January 2000 to March 2006 time frame, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also draws from 255 violations that allegedly occurred in the course of 1,943 violations of federal mining regulations.

The lawsuit threatens civil penalties against Elk Run Coal Co., Sidney Coal Co., Martin County Coal Co., Independence Coal Co., Omar Mining Co., Bandmill Coal Corp. and Marfork Coal Co.

Massey operates 19 mining complexes in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. The company is the fourth-largest coal producer by revenue in the United States.

On the day that the WV State Legislature passed resolution to study the affects of underground coal sludge injections, I was in Rawl, WV, a community who’s water and people were poisioned by coal sludge.

Abe Mwaura, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and Coal River Mountain Watch brought me to this place and changed my life forever. Thanks yall.

– – Benji Burrell

May 24, 2007

Washington, DC: Over 100 people from 19 states came to Washington, DC May 12 – 16, 2007 for the second annual Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington. After a full day of training and three solid days of back-to-back lobbying appointments on Capitol Hill, the results of their hard work on the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169) were unbelievable:

• Over 100 meetings with Congressional offices
• 20 face-to-face meetings with Members of Congress
• 16 new co-sponsors for the Clean Water Protection Act in just one week
• A record total of 79 co-sponsors for the Clean Water Protection Act, the highest number of co-sponsors in the entire history of the legislation

That means that in less than 5 months since the new Congress took office, we already have more Congressional support for our efforts to end mountaintop removal coal mining than we did after the entire 109th Congress.

The volunteers in Washington were joined by thousands of people across the nation who called and emailed their Representatives during the week in Washington. Together, they are the reason the movement to end mountaintop removal coal mining is rapidly gaining power.

It wasn’t all hard work in Washington – there was a lot of fun and celebration, too. You can see a slideshow of the Week in Washington in our photo gallery.

Here is what one Week in Washington participant, Maribeth Meaux, had to say about her experience:

I felt it was truly an honor to stand in solidarity with people of Appalachia directly affected by MTR and to join my voice with theirs during lobby visits at the offices of Illinois Congressmen. I cannot think of a better way to use my time and energy than to speak out against the injustice and destruction caused by MTR…

Because of lobby week, I now know that I am part of a strong and growing group of citizens who refuse to be daunted by the enormity of the problem….

As a member of the Peace and Social Justice Ministry for the Diocese of Joliet, my passion for this issue comes from my faith. As Christians we are called to be good stewards of the Earth and to protect the rights of all people. Clearly, in the case of MTR, the people of Appalachia are being exploited and we are losing some of the most beautiful and biologically rich areas of our country…..

We need to speak out for change and I am thankful for the opportunity that the lobby week gave me to use my voice as a citizen!

The Clean Water Protection Act would curtail mountaintop removal by preventing the dumping of mining waste into streams. You can find out if your Representative is a co-sponsor of the bill, and then thank them or ask them to sign on, by visiting the iLoveMountains action center.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS
Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, Appalachian Voices, Christians for the Mountains, Coal River Mountain Watch, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Keeper of the Mountains, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Save Our Cumberland Mountains, Sierra Club, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, United Mountain Defense, and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

Hi everyone,

My name is Elma Dostovic and I am a freshman at Appalachian State University. I first found out about Appalachian Voices when I was looking for an organization to volunteer with for a class assignment. However, when I came here and learned about what is going on and when I learned the facts about what damage mountaintop removal is really causing, I knew I’d help no matter what. It wasn’t about my assignment anymore. I loved seeing how much people who work here care about this cause and how much hard work they put in every day. I’ve been coming in since the end of March and helping around the office in any way I could, and I cant wait to come back next year and continue helping!!!

One of the things I did while working here was writing a letter to Virginia Foxx, and this is something we encourage everyone to do. It really shows our representatives that we care about what’s going on and that there is something that they can do to help.

Take a look at the letter I wrote and hopefully it will inspire you to write one to your representative!!!

Dear Representative Foxx,
I am writing to you today to urge you to support the Clean Water Protection Act which would make mountaintop removal illegal. I have just recently become involved with Appalachian Voices, and I have already learned so many disturbing facts. Mountaintop removal mining has buried more more than 1,000 miles of streams and more than 400,000 acres of Appalachia’s mountains have been leveled. It saddens me toknow that this is happeneing and that our government is doing nothing about it. Now that I know what is happening, I am going to do my part and Inform as many people as possible, and I hope that you will use your power and help us end mountaintop removal mining because, the distruction of homes, communities, and lives has to stop. I encourage you to cosponsor and support the Clean Water Protection Act to help protect our waterways and end the destructive practice of mountaintop removal mining. I am eager to hear back from you and I value your opinion.

Thank You!

With the mountains and people of the Appalachian coalfields in mind, Appalachian Voices’ technology wiz and superstar volunteer, Jeff Deal, spent some time this month “remodeling” his house. From new faucet nozzles to an ultra efficient entertainment center, Jeff’s old house is now a model home for the 21st century, on a shoestring budget!

He gave us “exclusive” access to his energy efficient private life, and we decided to show the world! After his internet broadcasting career takes off (he’s bound for the stars), you might see him in you town riding in style in his newly converted ELECTRIC VW microbus. With such a bright future and huge heart, he wont be single for long! Email us for his number 🙂

Coming soon to a theater near you….

Hello from beautiful Decappalachia! Come enjoy our home land, before its gone!

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (dep)
Annual Report
Fiscal Year 2004 – 2005

For more than a decade, the Department of Environmental Protection has been the state’s environmental regulatory agency. Over time, the agency has evolved, focusing not only on the regulated community, but also the West Virginians we work hard to protect.

West Virginians deserve a healthy environment in all aspects—clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and clean soil on which to live. DEP also wants to promote a healthy environment by providing opportunities for industries to develop in an environmentally sound way.

DEP has programs in which to do just that. Our voluntary remediation and brownfields programs not only clean up contaminated sites, but also provide the opportunity for communities to redevelop them, providing infrastructure and jobs.

Our mining and reclamation and oil and gas programs oversee the extraction our valuable natural resources and ensure that the land is reclaimed for future generations to live on and protect.

DEP’s water resources and abandoned mine lands programs protect West Virginia’s waters, often restoring them back to health. The air quality division ensures that the air we breathe is suitable for residents and visitors alike.

DEP has nearly 800 employees responsible for making it all happen. For all West Virginians, and to the 39 million visitor’s to our state every year, we’re promoting a healthy environment.

Sincerely,
Stephanie R. Timmermeyer
Cabinet Secretary

I know a lot of people who would disagree with the dep’s claims of “environmentally sound” and “land is reclaimed for future generations to live on and protect.”

If you’re interested in learning about events, permits applications, public comment periods, or environmental emergencies in West Virginia, signup for the WV Department of Environmental Protection public notice mailing list here.

Read on for an example.

The following was sent to you because you are a Member of the DEP Public Notice mailing list.
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 @ 1:10 PM
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Notice of Comment Period
Department of Environmental Protection

This mailing is to advise the public that we have received an application for reissuance of an Article 11/West Virginia National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for Jacks Branch Coal Company, PO Box 2066, Charleston, WV 25329, in order to operate the existing “Lady Dunn Preparation Plant Complex” including the 9D Strip (S008883), Lady Dunn Preparation Plant (O007582), Dunn Hollow Refuse Facility (S012782), Dunn Hollow & Staten Run Surface Mine (S600886) and Dunn Hollow Surface Mine (S007085) in the Coalburg, Stockton, Clarion, No. 5-Block, No. 6-Block and No. 7-block, seams of coal.

Application for reissuance of Article 11/WVNPDES permit: WV0093929

Jacks Branch Coal Company plans to discharge treated water from the above sources, untreated storm water runoff (from roads) and untreated water from a monitored abandoned deep mine into Burnett Hollow of/and Bullpush Fork of Smithers Creek, Barn Hollow and Martin Hollow of/and Hughes Creek, Staten Run, an unnamed tributary of/and Dunn Hollow, and West Hollow of/and the Kanawha River, all of the Kanawha River and is located 2.50 miles Northwest of London, WV, in Cabin Creek District of Kanawha County, Longitude 81° 19’ 39” and Latitude 38° 12’ 08” (Coordinates from USGS Topographic Map).

The Department of Environmental Protection is seeking information on private surface water intakes for human consumption located in the above listed receiving streams and located down stream of this operation. Please provide your name, phone number, mailing address, the name of the stream with the intake, and the physical location of the intake. This information needs to be submitted to the address below.

An anti-degradation review has been conducted. Tier 1 protection is afforded because effluent limitations ensure compliance with water quality criteria for all designated uses.

Please send any comments on the draft permit to the address below, postmarked on or before December 15, 2006, or thirty days from the date of publication, and reference the Article 11/WVNPDES permit number shown above. A copy of the Article 11/WVNPDES application, draft permit and fact sheet (if required) will be available for inspection and obtaining copies during normal business hours at the DEP Regional Office located at the address below. Comments may include a request for a public hearing. If a hearing is requested the comment must state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. A hearing may be held if DEP finds a significant degree of public interest, or if the hearing would clarify issues.

DEP Regional Office
116 Industrial Drive
Oak Hill, WV 25901
Phone: (304) 465-1911
Fax: (304) 465-0031

To view past notices of open public comment periods, please go to www.wvdep.org.

You are receiving this notice because you signed up to receive our mailings.
If you wish to be removed from this list, go to www.wvdep.org to remove your name.

===========================================================
To view past notices of open public comment periods or to unsubscribe from this Mailing List, login at:
https://www.wvdep.org//MLists2/

Thanks to liberalcowboy for posting this on YouTube

Everybody working to stop MTR in the coalbearing region of Appalachia deserves a pat on the back. From National Geo, Grist, Vanity Fair, and inter-national newspaper coverage, the word is getting out more than ever before.

Check out item #6 in this editorial from the Port Huron, MI, newspaper:

Austin Hall, recently presented Appalachian Treasures on a tour all over southern MI, including the Bioneers Conference satellite location in Detroit (near Port Huron where the Times-Herald). Here are the rest of the tour stops.

The MTR messages seems to be getting through to the Sierra Club – check out Carl Pope’s latest missive in the Huffington Post. He links to KFTC’s webpage about Bob Edward’s XM satellite radio broadcast, called “Exploding Heritage“.

Allen Johnson and Granny D

Dear Supporters of Christians For The Mountains,

Although it’s been a while since the last update, lots has been going on…

The Mountain Mourning Collection DVD has just been re-mastered with brilliant color photos on the DVD and inserts. Our producer received just a few days ago a 1000 copy order, so please help us move them out. This DVD is an excellent tool for inspiring audiences to action! Order several for passing out as gifts. Hold a house party or show at a church class or gathering. Our website, www.christiansforthemountains.org has plenty of info.

We are continuing to receive generous contributions for this work (thanks to those of you helping with this!), which means we are starting to get this DVD out to more folks including press leads and local Appalachian people and national leaders. Please refer leads you feel could make a difference and we will try to get a DVD into their hands. Contact our producer BJ Gudmundsson {encode=”bj@patchworkfilms.com” title=”bj@patchworkfilms.com”} or to me {encode=”allen@christiansforthemountains.org” title=”allen@christiansforthemountains.org”}, or make the contact yourself.

Larry Gibson is using film features in some of their presentations. Dave Cooper, who contributed the framework for the first feature, Mountain Mourning, is also promoting the film in his extensive travels. Their dedication along with those of so many of the others of you are continuing to inspire us all!

Finally, this year 2006 the issue of mountaintop removal is starting to get some national attention as the moral issue that it is. Still, most people in our country and even in our Appalachian region have too little awareness if any of the magnitude of coal industry abuse to the land and people.

A number of supporters have asked what they can do to help. Here are some possible jobs….

(1) Very important of course is personal responsibility in energy conservation. Other avenues of helpfulness include public policy advocacy, showing the DVD at gatherings and passing it on to others, and supporting other groups that advocate for the mountains and their communities.

(2) Is there anyone talented or motivated to come up with some slogans for bumper stickers, T-Shirts, buttons, and the like? And getting them made up? And running an online store or other means to distribute them. Let’s get our message out. “The Earth is the Lord’s!” … For beauty and sustainable life, and not for exploitation and devastation!

(3) Book reviews, music, Bible reflections, articles, educational and teaching materials, photos of scenery (both good and bad), and photos of people in advocacy, and so forth are needed toward expanding the webpage. Maybe someone(s) would step up to build packets of printed materials to send out? Just identify yourselves if any of this is a fit for you.

(4) We would like to put on an event soon to officially premier “The Mountain Mourning Collection.” Perhaps at a church or theater, and along with showing the films have some live gospel music and some short inspiring talks. Invite the press, your friends, and make it a gala. Ok, is there someone(s)who would step up to spearhead organizing such an event? And it could be more than one premier, too, say in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, or elsewhere. This could also serve as a weekend conference if we wanted to extend it another day adding in some field trips, organizational planning, and further networking.

(5) Since we are a network, help us to integrate with other faith-based organizations as well as eco-justice entities advocating for the mountains and their communities. And encourage others to actively get involved with one or several of the many groups working for a better world.

(6) We really want to invite religious leaders to see mountaintop removal sites themselves. We encourage people to organize a delegation? Southwings can do flyovers. Larry Gibson invites people to Kayford Mountain. Others of you can share personal stories. First hand eye-witness experience can be powerful.

(7) Writing articles for your church or denominational newsletters, letters to your newspaper editors, radio interviews, advocacy to your elected government officials as well as church leadership, are some of the many ways you can personally influence others. Let us know how the others in our network can support you in your own local endeavors!

On the drawing board will be further filmmaking involving sludge injection along with further personal stories similar to Larry’s on the Mountain Mourning Collection. We also will continue exploring the spiritual values of wilderness, and are co-sponsoring federal wilderness expansion on the Monongahela National Forest. Gudmundsson is doing a film for the Wilderness Coalition. We also are likely to support the initiative of Oceana in eliminating the airborne mercury pollution of a major Appalachian chlorine producing plant and should have news on that soon.

Very importantly, all of us need to be sharing about the importance of integrating our religious faith with our responsibility for God’s creation toward healthy, sustainable communities for generations to come. Pray for God to lead, empower, and uphold us to this holy and worthy task.

Blessings and Peace to all of you, and thanks for your support and inspiration!

–Allen Johnson

Christians For The Mountains
Rt. 1 Box 119-B
Dunmore, West Virginia 24934
{encode=”allen@christiansforthemountains.org” title=”allen@christiansforthemountains.org”}

For those of you who don’t know, there are many people touring the USA to spread the word about mountaintop removal coal mining. There’s Dave Cooper and his MTR Road Show, the infamous Larry Gibson, and Austin Hall presenting Appalachian Treasures, just to name a few.

Because of efforts like theirs, even folks outside of Appalachia are talking about MTR.

Here is a Letter to the Editor about electricity cost increases and MTR.

Power at a Price – Belleville News-Democrat – Belleville, IL, USA
… Mountaintop removal mining is destroying mountains in Appalachia at an alarming rate, and is harmful to area residents. Practitioners …

And the talk of the effects of America’s consumption of coal is not limited to the USA:

Canadian Cities Petition U.S. to Cut Power Plant Pollution – TORONTO, Ontario, Canada
Canadians say that emissions from coal-burning U.S. power plants blowing across the border are endangering their health and warming the climate, and they want the pollution to stop. Today municipalities in Ontario and Quebec introduced legal action aimed at getting the U.S. government to require reduced emissions.

Vivian Stockman and Sandra Diaz of Appalachian Voices for letting me know about the articles.